School: Leath-fhearann, Malla (roll number 3548)
- Location:
- Laharan, Co. Cork
- Teacher: R. Barrow
Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0364, Page 121
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- XML School: Leath-fhearann, Malla
- XML Page 121
- XML “Local Forges”
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On this page
- (continued from previous page)bellows inside. The bellows is a large metal one worked by the hand by means of a wheel.
The smiths shoe horses, donkeys and jennets. They repair ploughs and other machines. They also make gates and repair old ones. They do not make ploughs in these forges now but the old people in the district say that they remember a time when they were made in all the forges of the locality. A light frame of a timber harrow is made by a carpenter then the smith makes iron "teeth" for it.
The instruments they use when shoing are a hammer, a buffer, a hoof-knife, a pincers, a rasp and nails. The buffer is is for taking off old shoes and clinching nails. The hoof-knife is used for cutting off some of the hoof before putting on the new shoe. The rasp is used to smoothen the hoof where the nails come out. They use very large nails when shoing horses and smaller ones for donkeys and ponies.
The owner of the forge generally has another man working for him. The two makes shoes together one working a hammer and the other working a sledge. This they do by the man with the hammer striking two strokes - one on the iron and one on the anvil while the other man strikes only(continues on next page)
- Informant
- Mr Denis Healy
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 60
- Address
- Curraghbower, Co. Cork
